Plastic and cosmetic surgery covers a wide range of medical interventions, dealing with either restoration of form and function or enhancing morphological characteristics. Objective complications in plastic surgery are rare as the mortality is very low, vital organs are rarely affected, and the patients are usually healthy (the purpose being usually corporal enhancement not repair). Recently an increasing number of malpractice cases had gained mass-media attention, leading to a nationwide and even international debate about the standards of healthcare in Romania. The purpose of this study is to determine the main characteristics of plastic surgery malpractice cases in Romania. Malpractice claims in plastic surgery were analyzed on a four year period (2006-2010); the cases found (13) were analyzed by using descriptive statistical methods. The study group included eight males and five females, with a medium age of 40 years; cases were divided into traumatic, cosmetic and non-traumatic. The main reason for malpractice claims was related to a medical care deficit followed by procedure deficit. Most malpractice claims were in agendo only three being ommissive and are usually due to medical negligence.

Medical errors leading to malpractice claims have had a continuously increasing frequency in the last years in Romania. In this study we try to analyze the characteristics of malpractice claims associated with infectious pathology. Material and method. A study was conducted on 83 cases with malpractice claims, on a four year period. Thirty cases included in the causal chain an infective process (MOSF as a terminal event was excluded). Results. Cases with associated infectious pathology had a lower mean age, a male predominance, an increased severity and mortality. Its presence however wasn't associated with a significant increase in medical errors frequency. Conclusions. Infectious processes, even if are associated with an increased severity and mortality, don't have a stronger association with the positive identification of medical errors compared with medical treatments not associated with infectious pathology during their course.